7. H. Mitchell D’Olier

October, 2004

Power Surge:D’Olier transformed a broken-down strip mall (anchored by a fish market, of all things) into the city’s premier entertainment hub. Today, the Ward Entertainment Center’s multiplex, restaurants and retail shops are not only attracting consumers from across the Island, but they have kick-started residential and commercial real estate development in Kakaako. D’Olier imagined it all nearly a decade ago when consumer confidence and real estate values were somewhere below sea level. Seeing the future is one thing, making it happen is another. D’Olier convinced Victoria Ward, a longtime, tradition-bound landowner, to become a real estate developer without an economic signpost in sight.

Power Play:As head of another old landowning trust, D’Olier is tasked with redeveloping Kailua Town. It won’t be easy. The beach community is home to a disparate collection of small businesses and arguably the largest concentration of NIMBYs on the Island. If D’Olier is able to pull off this extreme makeover, he’ll be nothing short of a miracle worker.

Personal Voltage:The community-minded D’Olier is dynamic, engaging and well liked. Statewide office is easy to imagine for this visionary.